Punjab Chief Secretary Calls for Stricter Drug Enforcement Measures

On Wednesday, Anurag Verma, the chief secretary, advocated for rigorous adherence to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's directives to combat the drug problem.

In the midst of presiding over a state-level Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) meeting, Chief Secretary Mr. Verma directed the police Special Task Force (STF) to concentrate on large-scale drug dealers dealing in commercial quantities and to guarantee that they face severe penalties for their offenses. He emphasized that Sec. 31 of the NDPS Act must be made widely known, stating that it is imperative that the strict guidelines pertaining to the punishment of repeat violators be made known. In a similar vein, Mr. Verma advocated for the district attorneys and investigating officers to have adequate training so that lawbreakers face severe penalties.

Mr. Verma, the chief secretary, instructed the authorities to strictly adhere to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's directives regarding the seizure of drug dealers' property. He declared that since the state government has implemented a zero tolerance policy against this curse and is fighting narcotics, no effort should be spared in this admirable cause. According to Mr. Verma, the fight against drugs should become a widespread movement with the backing of the public and efficient coordination between relevant departments as well as between federal and state agencies. He also mentioned that a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) has already been released in this regard.

On the eve of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Chief Secretary emphasized the State Government's commitment to the fight against drugs. He also stated that the IO will follow a SOP checklist while conducting the investigation and that he will properly mark all of the steps completed when the report is finished. Additionally, he emphasized the necessity of strengthening state-wide oversight of chemists and stated that those who consistently break the law should face harsh penalties, such as having their licenses revoked. He claimed that just 134 wholesale pharmacists and 463 retail sale chemists, out of about 30,000 retail sale and whole sale chemists, have been permitted to stock and distribute limited drug formulations.

Mr. Verma stated that in accordance with the directives of Chief Minister Mr. Bhagwant Singh Mann, extensive awareness campaigns should be launched in schools and colleges in addition to the encouragement of athletics. This would help to channel the boundless energy of young people in a constructive manner. In order to track the movement of trucks transporting drugs and psychotropic materials, Mr. Verma also gave the Taxation department instructions to investigate GSTIN and E-way invoices. In addition, he stated that in order to promote improved coordination across all state agencies, district level NCORD meetings ought to be conducted on a regular basis.

Along with representatives of various central agencies, the meeting was attended by Special Chief Secretary Revenue KAP Sinha, Additional Chief Secretary Excise and Taxation Vikas Pratap, DGP Gaurav Yadav, Secretary Home Gurkirat Kripal Singh, Special DGP Special Task Force Kuldeep Singh, Secretary Health Ajoy Sharma, Director General School Education Vinay Bublani, Secretary Home Jaswinder Kaur, Director Social Security, Women and Child Development, Shena Aggarwal, Director SCERT and Director Elementary Education Amaninder Kaur Brar, Special Secretary Home Amandeep Kaur, Zonal Director NCB Chandigarh Amanjit Singh, and other officials.